Mahomen County deputy Chris Dewey, shot in line of duty, dies

FARGO - Christopher Dewey, a deputy with the Mahnomen County (Minn.) Sheriff's Department who was wounded in the line of duty almost 18 months ago, died this morning, according to the Mahnomen County Sheriff's Department.

Sheriff Doug Krier is expected to issue an official statement later today.

Dewey had been in hospice care in recent weeks and family and friends were doing what they could to make his final days comfortable, according to a recent posting on the CaringBridge Web site set up for Dewey.

Dewey was shot Feb. 18, 2009, after he responded to a report of a drunken driver in Mahnomen.

The next day he underwent surgery for injuries to his brain and liver.

Several weeks later, he was transported to a Colorado rehabilitation center.

A number of medical setbacks and surgeries followed.

On July 3, he was hospitalized for an infection and given Botox injections for pain.

He was placed under hospice care July 15 after a lung collapsed from complications from Botox injection.